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For generations, the heirs of James Garfield spoke proudly about his impressive career but seldom discussed his untimely death. We were aware what had happened, that he was gunned down in a railway depot,” explains one of his modern descendants. “We read about the story in books but, in one way or another, we just passed over it quickly.”

Revived Interest in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the issuing of Destiny of the Republic, which generated attention in Garfield's truncated career. This work has now led to a streaming series titled Death by Lightning, including Michael Shannon as the commander-in-chief and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who shot him.

The series promises to highlight Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to fall victim to its deep political rifts. His time in office was ended prematurely after only half a year not only by the gunman's shot but by medical malpractice – an incident now largely forgotten while the deaths of the Civil War president and President Kennedy continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was a true polymath: he was a lawyer, he was a preacher, he was a agriculturalist. He was multiple professions which also formed his character and his approach and the complete story about him the family carries down with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the final national leader born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parent passed away when he was just a toddler, leaving his parent, Eliza, to raise five children in hard times. An voracious learner, Garfield found employment on vessels to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was ordained as minister, became president of Hiram College in Ohio and was a state senator. In 1858 he wed a educational contemporary, Lucretia Rudolph, with whom he would have multiple offspring. An dedicated federalist, Garfield viewed the civil war as a moral battle against forced servitude and progressed to the officer status.

“As I studied his life, I couldn't believe it. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was fearless. He was very progressive for the period. He was kind. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he remained alive.”

Political Career and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to leave army service when he was selected to the Congress, where he would serve as a Republican for multiple terms. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a question of fairness and the completion of a wartime covenant.

“The address he delivered on the floor of Congress will tear your heart out. He was an remarkable speaker and this issue was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the party was sharply split between the “Stalwarts”, led by an influential figure, who supported a additional presidency for military hero, and the “rival group”, who supported James G Blaine. Garfield attended as a advocate of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was stalled between Grant and Blaine, party members began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's emotional address nominating Sherman caught their attention. During the speech, he reportedly shouted, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the extended selection process, a rush of supporters made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, Chester Arthur, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Brief Administration and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had never thought about it but he was forced into the role.”

The defining conflict of Garfield's limited administration was his disagreement with Conkling over the “patronage network”. Conkling insisted on authority over federal patronage in New York, particularly the influential position of port authority. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The conflict escalated into a open fight but Garfield defeated Conkling in the Senate. Experiencing a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator quit Congress in protest. The next day, Garfield's nominee was ratified. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the political organization and for the change movement over “political control”.

The Killer and His Mental Illness

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who embodied the dark side of the spoils network. The assassin was a wanderer with a history of occupational setbacks, psychological problems and early life difficulties. He had failed as a attorney, debt recovery agent, preacher and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his unique form of delusion was delusion. He always believed that religious calling for significance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield progressed and improved, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a pathway to success: politics. Caught up in the events of the political contest, he wrote and delivered an unimportant address, and became convinced in his own mind that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this logic, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, requiring to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a annoyance that he was eventually prohibited from the White House.

The Shooting and Physician Mistakes

On that fateful day, just several weeks into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his educational gathering. As he walked through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau appeared suddenly, produced an ivory-handled British Bull Dog revolver from his clothing and shot the president twice in the back.

Garfield cried out: “My God, what is this?” and fell on the depot ground. When a {police officer|law